Organizing computer use in the context of networks

Computer networks have the potential to enhance people´s ability to work together. The major hurdle is developing, maintaining, and adapting the large-scale distributed applications needed for work groups because work groups are diverse in their specific needs and in a constant state of flux. A description is given of an approach to overcoming this hurdle involving novel understandings about human coordination at work and a resultant software technology-coordination technology. The author´s company is working on a systems software product CB (coordination base) to be installed on each desktop machine in a network. It assumes the now usual complement of system software packages: operating system, communications, presentation manager. When the CB runs, users see the network as an electronic coordination system, consisting of electronic analogues of buildings interconnected by a variety of communication/transportation nets, from very private to very public ones. The author illustrates the functioning of a CB-based coordination environment by means of a scenario.<>